Ethology (VSCI 1100) Cram Notes Flashcards

Flashcards covering the fundamentals of ethology, behavior genetics, domestication, and behavior physiology as outlined in Modules 1-3 of VSCI 1100.

Ethology

The science of studying animal behavior — watching animals closely and describing what they do, to figure out how their biology actually works "under the hood."

Behavior

Any action an animal does using its muscles, controlled by the nervous system, usually as a response to something (a stimulus).

Homeostasis

The process of the body staying stable, such as keeping a steady temperature.

John Ray (1676)

Zoologist who studied "instinctive behavior" in birds; showed that birds raised away from their nest still built species-specific nests, proving complex behavior can appear without learning.

Douglas Spalding

British biologist who discovered "imprinting" — young animals bonding to/learning from whatever they see early in life.

Behaviorist school

An American school of thought led by John B. Watson and B.F. Skinner that focused on lab experiments and how animals learn through reinforcement (reward/punishment).

Naturalist school

A European school of thought led by Oskar Heinroth, Niko Tinbergen, and Konrad Lorenz that focused on innate, instinctive behavior observed in natural settings.

Proximate causation

The "How" of behavior; categories that explain what triggers a behavior (causation) and how it works (function).

Ultimate causation

The "Why" of behavior; categories explaining how behavior develops during an individual's life (ontogeny) and how it evolved over generations (phylogeny).

Cognitive Ethology

A field pioneered by Donald Griffin in the $1970$s that studies non-human thinking, consciousness, and decision-making by watching natural behavior.

Applied Ethology

Using the science of animal behavior in real-world situations where humans manage animals, such as farms, vets, zoos, and labs.

One Biology

The idea that biological processes and behavioral needs work the same basic way across species, including humans.

Stereotypies

Repetitive, unchanging behaviors with no obvious purpose (e.g., pacing), often seen in captive or stressed animals; a red flag for poor welfare.

Sickness Behavior (Hart, 1988)

An adaptive strategy where the body redirects energy to fighting illness, characterized by lethargy, social withdrawal, and loss of appetite.

Ethogram

A catalogue listing all distinct behavior patterns of a species, each with a precise, clear-cut definition.

Instantaneous (point) sampling

A recording rule where behavior is only logged at fixed time points (snapshots) to estimate time spent on state behaviors like grazing.

Focal animal sampling

A subject-focus rule where the observer follows one individual continuously for a set period.

Heritability ($h^2$)

The proportion of variation in a trait within a population that is explained by genetic differences.

Genetic predisposition

The concept that genes bias or tilt the probability of a behavior, while the environment still shapes the final outcome.

Epigenetics

Chemical changes to DNA that affect how genes are switched on or off without changing the underlying DNA sequence itself.

DNA Methylation

An epigenetic mechanism where a methyl group ($CH_3$) is added to DNA to silence nearby genes.

Ritualization

The evolutionary process where a behavior that originally served one purpose becomes exaggerated over time to turn into a communication signal.

Optimal Foraging Theory

A theory predicting how animals maximize energy gain per unit time when choosing when to leave a food patch.

Evolutionarily Stable Strategy (ESS)

A strategy that, once common in a population, cannot be beaten or invaded by a different strategy; it is self-stabilizing.

Domestication Syndrome

A common pattern of morphological and behavioral changes across species, such as white spots, compressed skulls, and reduced fearfulness.

Hypothalamus

Structure at the base of the brain that controls homeostatic mechanisms (temperature, food/water intake, rage) and links the nervous system to the endocrine system.

Limbic System

A group of core brain structures (including the hypothalamus, hippocampus, and amygdala) that reacts to pleasant/unpleasant stimuli.

Oxytocin

A hormone from the neurohypophysis involved in smooth muscle contraction, social/maternal behavior, and milk ejection.

ACTH

A hormone from the adenohypophysis that triggers corticosteroid release, central to the stress response.

Dopamine

A brain chemical that drives cognition, motivation, and the reward system; also linked to stereotypy performance.

Suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN)

The "master clock" located in the hypothalamus that controls the circadian rhythm.

Unihemispheric sleep

A sleep pattern in birds where one half of the brain sleeps while the other stays awake, allowing for predator alertness.

Ghrelin

The strongest known hunger-stimulating hormone; it rises before meals and falls after eating.

Leptin

A hormone produced by fat tissue that reduces meal size and tracks overall body energy stores.

Progesterone

A hormone that is high through pregnancy and drops before birth to allow milk production and metabolism shifts.

Eustress

Short-term, manageable arousal from normal or adaptive activities (e.g., play), characterized by fast recovery.

Distress

Arousal from uncontrollable, unpredictable, or inescapable factors (e.g., pain, overcrowding), characterized by slow or incomplete recovery.

HPA Axis

The Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal axis; the physiological pathway responsible for the stress response.